


Do You Accept A Date As Payment?

by slutopia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Swearing, eren is accident-prone, levi is shop manager, oops eren is shirtless again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 00:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2366828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slutopia/pseuds/slutopia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren goes shopping with Armin but his incompetence at life causes him to ruin an expensive shirt. Eren doesn't have enough money to pay and is forced to bargain with the handsome store manager who just can't resist teasing Eren a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do You Accept A Date As Payment?

**Author's Note:**

> prompt from a friend :D feel free to tell me if there are any mistakes.
> 
> my beta bae is [ianosphere](http://ianosphere.tumblr.com/) <3
> 
> hope you enjoy! c:

‘Ooh, Eren. Those jeans make your butt look good.’

Eren furrowed his brows and scrutinised himself in the wide mirror of the store.

‘You think?’ Eren asked Armin, unsure and shifted sideways to get a better view.

‘Mm, yeah,’ Armin nodded confidently, ‘Hugs it in all the right places.’

If Eren didn’t know his relationship with Armin was completely platonic, Armin’s comments on the shape of his ass would’ve been very uncomfortable.

‘Try that black button up before with these navy jeans,’ suggested Armin.

Eren shuffled back in the changing room compliantly, trusting his best friend’s sense of style.

Whilst Eren was in the process of buttoning up his shirt, soft knocks on the door interrupted him.

‘Uh, yeah?’ Eren called out, confused.

‘Eren, I’m just going to duck outside for a minute, okay?’ came Armin’s reassuring voice.

‘Yeah, go.’

‘Don’t hurt yourself, okay?’ Armin joked playfully before walking away, his laughter trailing off as he walked further away.

Eren merely rolled his eyes as Armin’s teasing, but didn’t deny it as he _was_ really prone to embarrassing accidents in public. Like that one time he knocked over a whole display of Trojan condoms, or when he slipped while bowling and slid halfway down the lane on his stomach. Or once he walked into a mannequin when he was looking away and it proceeded to fall over and break. Inarguably, those encounters all ended in Eren sitting in the offices of angry store managers.

When Eren opened the door of the changing cubicle, Armin still hadn’t returned so Eren was left to judge his outfit on his own.

However, as Eren stepped out, he felt his shirt being tugged harshly backwards and then there was a devastating ripping sound. Abruptly, Eren stood stock still as he felt his blood freeze into ice and cold sweat break out all over his body. For a few seconds, his mind refused to accept the possibility of what just happened and numbness blanketed his senses.

Suddenly, his brain kicked into gear and his heart began thumping wildly again – _bathumpbathumpyouarefuckedbathump_ – almost as though it was trying to leap out of his chest to save Eren the humiliation he wouldn’t have to face if he died right there.

While murmuring desperate ‘nonono’s under his breath, Eren undid the buttons of his shirt with trembling hands. He shakily shifted out of the shirt, not even giving a fuck if he was standing in a store half naked.

 _Please be okay, please be okay,_ Eren chanted in his head, but knew it was useless anyway. 

He gently maneuvered the thin fabric off the sharp edge of the lock -  _that is a danger hazard for accident-prone people like me, I should complain_ \- and surveyed the damage closely.

Okay, so it was worse than he thought it was.

No need to panic.

The tear ran from the left to the middle of the back, the ragged edges and seams torn pitifully, the frayed edges slightly fluttering from the unsteady movement of Eren’s hands.

‘Oi, brat. What the hell are you doing?’  

Eren hastily shuffled the destroyed shirt out of view and spun around quickly to face the person of the deep voice behind him.

Immediately, Eren’s eyes widened at the person before him. Because, just. _Wow._

The man was impeccably dressed, white button up shirt crisply pressed and rolled up at the sleeves to reveal his toned forearms. Black fitted jeans hugged his obviously muscled legs and polished black Chelsea boots completed the classy but casual outfit.

But the man’s _face._

_Goddamn._

Raven locks were slicked back artfully over an undercut, exposing his pale porcelain skin and the sloping angle of his jawline and the high bridge of his pointed nose. Hooded eyes, the colour of the sky before a storm and muted silver greys, observed Eren coldly, his thin lips curled into a distasteful snarl. How the stranger managed to still look attractive while his expression was blatant annoyance, was beyond Eren’s knowledge.

‘Say something, kid,’ the man suddenly snapped impatiently, ‘Stop fucking gawking like a constipated bird.’

Eren was taken aback by the man’s crude language but again, it suited him.

‘Uh…uhm, ah…well,’ fumbled Eren skillfully.

‘So you’re not going to explain why you’re standing fucking shirtless in my shop?’

Wait. _Wait._

_His shop?_

_Oh god, Eren. You’re screwed now. So fucking dead._

_Just show him the shirt. Maybe he’ll show mercy and give you a quick and painless death._

‘Okay, okay. I’m so sorry, uhm,’ Eren gulped audibly as the man – _also the owner of the damn store_ – narrowed his eyes, ‘I may have, maybe, I don’t know, like accidently. Perhaps ripped one of your shirts, while I was, uh, changing.

‘But I’ll pay for it! Totally, don’t worry!’ Eren babbled and then reached for the price tag of the torn shirt. And proceeded to promptly drop it as though it had burned him.

_Oh my god, who pays that much for a shirt? That’s fucking crazy. Is it fucking made from unicorn skin and mermaid scales and the blood of magical fairies? ‘Cos at that price, it better fucking be._

_I don’t even have that much money on me! Yeah, like I’d known I was going to trade my soul for a shirt today._

While Eren broke down in an internal meltdown – well, it wasn’t really internal, the distress was clear on his face – Levi looked at him with an almost amused expression.

Levi found it sort of hilarious and endearing at how much the boy was panicking, half-flailing about his arms and half-wringing his hands and couldn’t resist teasing him further.

‘It’s Eren, right?’ asked Levi. Eren whipped his head up to look at Levi, his face an expression of bewilderment.

‘Heard your blonde mushroom friend calling you,’ Levi elaborated.

Confused, Eren crinkled his eyebrows at ‘blonde mushroom friend’. After a few seconds, his expression lit up in recognition before exclaiming, ‘Oh, you mean Armin!’

‘So I’m guessing you don’t have enough money to pay for the shirt you so kindly destroyed?’ Levi concluded, his voice unsurprised.

‘Well, sorry for not knowing your clothes were made from freaking unicorn hair,’ was Eren’s immediate snarky comeback.

Levi simply raised an eyebrow at his retort and then walked forward until he was standing in front of Eren. He let his gaze roam over Eren’s body appreciatively, enjoying in the way the boy’s skin steadily flushed red under Levi’s staring. Eren’s skin was golden and tanned, and positively glowing in the store’s bright lights. Toned, smooth muscles shaped his bare torso and prominent collarbones jutted out invitingly.

Softly, Levi splayed a hand across Eren’s stomach, feeling the way the muscles twitched under his touch. Levi heard the boy’s harsh intake of breath and Levi leaned upwards on his toes – _damn, how is the kid so fucking tall_ – before angling his mouth before Eren’s ear.

‘Maybe you could pay with your body instead,’ Levi breathed lightly, his voice intentionally dropping an octave lower.

Levi felt Eren jerk in surprise and even from his position, he could see the sunkissed skin burning an even brighter crimson red. Levi let his mouth curl in a satisfied smirk at the boy’s entertaining reaction.

‘W-what?!’ Eren spluttered, not sure if he heard right but the touch of man’s hands, the intoxicating smell and his close proximity were distracting and it was proving to be impossible for Eren to function properly.

Levi swiftly pulled away, his face falling into an impassive mask like he hadn’t just felt up a complete stranger.

‘I’m fucking joking, kid,’ Levi snorted, ‘Then what do you propose you do?’

‘Uh, I could try and fix it?’ said Eren lamely, brain still unable to think straight because all he could think of was the warmth that invaded his bare stomach mere seconds ago.  

‘Next,’ Levi scoffed at the absolutely idiotic suggestion.

‘Maybe I could ask Armin to help pay? No, that’s just a burden. Oh!’ Eren’s face brightened and Levi could practically see the light bulb go on above his head.

‘I’ll work for you!’

‘No, absolutely no,’ Levi shot down the idea without hesitation. Yes, the boy’s stupidly nice eyes that couldn’t decide to be a vibrant emerald or an ocean blue and sometimes glinted a honey amber instead, would probably bring in more eager customers – _more like eager to get in Eren’s pants_. But his obvious clumsiness would break anything he touched. And Levi couldn’t afford that mess in his store.

‘Oh,’ Eren’s face crumpled and Levi felt a twinge of something akin to guilt in his chest.  

‘Oi, brat. Stop looking like a kicked puppy. I’m sorry,’ Levi apologized when he couldn’t take Eren’s wounded puppy eyes anymore and sighed at the boy’s hopelessness.

‘Then how about a date?’ Eren mumbled quietly, almost too quietly for Levi to hear. Eren kept his eyes downcast and his fingers were constantly fidgeting.

Shocked and not really believing what he’d just heard, Levi’s body goes still.

‘What did you say, kid?’ His voice not containing the hostility he wished it could convey. Eren was in for a disappointment if he thought Levi was dating material.

‘Do you accept a date as payment?’ Eren asked tentatively and bright eyes flickered upwards to Levi hopefully.

‘You don’t even know my name,’ Levi pointed out incredulously, trying to avoid answering Eren’s question.

‘Then tell me,’ Eren requested easily.

‘You barely know me either,’ Levi argued further, ‘We’ve fucking known each other for 5 minutes.’

‘Then maybe I can know you better over a cup of coffee,’ Eren reasoned cleverly.

Levi sighed again and rubbed the bridge of his nose in silent exasperation.

_Fucking pushy shit._

‘It’s Levi,’ he finally relented.

Glowing, Eren’s mouth stretched in a dazzling grin and _wow, that’s blinding_ and Levi resisted the urge to smile back.

‘Well, Levi,’ the way his name rolled off Eren’s tongue made Levi feel more tingly than he liked to admit, ‘Can I have your phone number so I can call you for a date?’

_When did the little shit get so cocky? He was a blushing virgin a few fucking minutes ago._

For a few seconds, Levi contemplated declining and just walking away.

But the stupid pull of the boy’s stupidly breathtaking eyes and stupidly beautiful smile made Levi stay there and say nothing. Stupidly.

Instead, Levi leaned forward and slipped his hand into Eren’s back jean pocket for a brief second before patting Eren’s ass momentarily and once again resumed his previous stance.

‘Okay,’ Levi replied plainly and with that, he walked into the store’s staffroom without looking back.

Baffled, Eren just stood there and watched Levi’s retreating figure disappear.

_Okay? Just okay? And then just felt up my ass?_

Absentmindedly, Eren rubbed his back pocket where Levi’s fingers had brushed earlier as he worried at what he said wrong. The feeling of glossy paper caught his attention and he pulled out what looked like a sleek business card.

His heart skipped a beat and skittered in his chest excitedly as he read _Levi Ackerman_ printed in bold type and the combination of numbers beneath it.

_Damn, he’s smooth._

Before Eren could further celebrate his success, he heard a cautious, ‘Uh, Eren?’

Eren looked up to see Armin looking at him uncertainly and puzzlement written all over his innocent face.

‘Why are you shirtless?’ Armin questioned. ‘ _In the open of a public store’_ part went unsaid but Eren heard it echo in Armin’s voice anyway.

Oh, right. Clothes.

Hurriedly, Eren slipped his normal shirt back on.

‘So long story, Armin,’ Eren began, ‘Basically, I ripped one of the store’s shirts and I didn’t have enough money to pay for it. So I offered to take the store manager out on a date as payment and that’s how I got the number of this gorgeous guy.’

Eren was grinning unabashedly, unphased by his ridiculous story but Armin was rendered speechless and just gaped at Eren disbelievingly.

‘What the hell?’ choked Armin when his voice managed to work again, ‘Are you crazy? Oh my god.’

‘Yeah, okay. I know,’ Eren conceded grudgingly, ‘But I got the number of the hot store manager so who’s the real winner here?’ Eren winked at Armin.

‘God, do you ever think before you act?’ Armin scolded, ‘You’re going to get killed one day, Eren.’

‘Mhm, yeah,’ Eren hummed, not really listening anymore but was focused down at a rectangle piece of paper instead.

 _Well I guess that’s just part of his charm,_ Armin yielded and shrugged.

_Let’s just hope this store manager likes the irrational and rash type._

_Yeah._

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is [slutopia](http://slutopia.tumblr.com/)


End file.
